I think those against airblast remaining the same are missing some sort of integral point.
Airblast is by far, hands down, the most important move for air. I would rather see airswipe and all the combos removed before airblast was taken away.
Air, being based around mobility and not being able to outdamage other elements, make itself armor, or manipulate solid objects around it, would be absolutely worthless without a move that allows it to, essentially, move fast. It was balanced before the addition of random left click damage moves, as if an airbender used it to run, the opponent would be the one to regen first.
To those saying they airbend regularly, and do not feel airblast is important, quit lying.
Also, you are dissing the entirety of the shift part of airblast/airsuction, while praising left click... The only people who spam left click those two are noobs that either do not know they do not deal damage, or trying to rack up kinetic damage. The shift aspect of the two moves allows one to control explicit directions that opponents are launched in, enabling someone to launch an opponent into the air, or to the side, thus avoiding any linear attacks fired off by the opponent. As a recap, the shift version is integral in manipulating the environment, your opponents, and yourself, and most other moves are simply there as a "mix up" (only use on occasion to throw the aim or strategy of the opponent) or as a supplement to this manipulative ability.
Though I do not think air is without faults, every element has a specific aspect to it that can be defined as "op", especially the capacity to run away. Removing this from air while not even attempting to make an argument for the other elements, would simply make air not viable, and completely unused, just as it once was.
Most of these comments just sound whiny and against the use of air in general, not as an attempt to make the bending more "cannon". Not even official avatar games are completely cannon to the show, as balance-based additions must be made on top of the cannon aspects. If games were only based on what is cannon, they would be severely broken.
Seriously though, where are the arguements against other non cannon moves? Most of chi? No earth fall damage? No ice fall damage? Using surge to launch oneself? Every firebender having combustion? Most fire moves in the game only being able to be used during sozin's comet?
And if running was a problem, removing airblast would just make people spam scooter more. If thats what happens, then im sure you will argue to remove that as well, etc etc, until air only has airswipe and a bunch of left click damage moves left.
Consider this before you all say the same things for 6 pages on a forum. Regardless of whether a move is "cannon", if it integral to the balance of the game, whether it is cannon becomes trivial. Additionally, the reasons other than it being cannon are not really thought out. Kthxbai.